Three-time All-Ireland medal winner and former Cork camogie captain Ashling Thompson (28) has pleaded guilty to a second assault of a woman in a night club in Cork last year.
Thompson pleaded guilty on Tuesday to assaulting Aoife O’Flaherty at Secret Garden at Rearden’s on Washington Street in Cork on February 25th, 2018, contrary to Section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act.
Thompson, of Shinnagh, Newtwoshandrum, Charleville, Co Cork, pleaded guilty last month to assaulting Jennifer Coakley on the same night also at the Secret Garden at Rearden’s on Washington Street.
Eddie Burke, Thompson’s solicitor, confirmed at Cork District Court that his client was pleading guilty to the assault of Ms O’Flaherty, who was not in court but had provided a victim impact statement.
Mr Burke said his client wanted to finalise the matter and that she had no previous convictions. However, Judge John King noted Thompson had pleaded last month to the assault on Ms Coakley.
The solicitor confirmed to Judge King that Ms Coakley had given a victim impact statement orally last month to his colleague Judge Con O’Leary, and he did not have a written version of the statement to give to the court.
Judge King said he believed the assault on Ms O’Flaherty could not be dealt with in isolation but should be dealt with together with the assault on Ms Coakley where his colleague had heard the details of the impact of that assault.
“I don’t have sufficient detail in relation to the assault on Ms Coakley and I believe that the two cases have to be dealt with together. I can’t deal with one in isolation,” said Judge King.
He noted Judge O’Leary will be back sitting at Cork District Court next week and he adjourned both cases against Thompson until June 25th for sentence when Judge O’Leary will deal with both offences.
Thompson, who captained Cork to win the O’Duffy Cup in 2015, has also won two All-Star awards while she also has three all-Ireland club medals won with her local club in north Cork, Milford.
